Finding Hope with Guillain Barre Syndrome

 I have reviewed a few cases of people that endured Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) at different points in their lives, for the cases of the individuals that I reviewed their ages ranged from 2 years old to 74 years. Through reading about the various occurrences of this condition in people of all ages and walks of life, I have learned how quick the onset is; people can be in the middle of an activity that they perform every day and suddenly feel the symptoms come on. In the case of Rose, she was only 2 years old so her parents had to recognize that something was going on because she could not completely articulate the symptoms that she was experiencing. Due to sudden changes in her gait, her parents called her pediatrician who recommended they go to the emergency room to quickly get testing done to find the cause of Rose's symptoms. After going through several tests, she was referred to a neurologist, who ordered a spinal tap; this was the test that concluded her diagnosis of GBS. Rose continued to decline for months after her initial diagnosis, but after receiving intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), a process of introducing healthy antibodies from donated blood into the patient's system, she showed improvement and began therapy treatment to regain walking and functioning. Rose's mom stated that over a year after her initial diagnosis, Rose had regained about 90% of her functioning back and hopes that she can continue to make strides in getting full function and gain the ability to run and play in the same ways as her peers. 

As I reflect on GBS, I think about the other neurological conditions that we have studied and see how the diagnosis can be so hard because it can strike at any time and cause debilitation in just hours, but also I think that the diagnosis could bring hope to clients and family members because the regressions will halt after the condition passes and although recovery can be long there are many cases in which people who have had GBS regain much of their functioning. As future practitioners, I think it is important for us to approach our clients with this condition in a way that is empathetic, educational, and empowering. I think that we can help our clients gain a greater perspective on their lives before and after enduring this condition by allowing them to have a space to be frustrated, upset, or down at times so that they can work through the pains that they are feeling in that moment in order to better recognize the relief and motivation we hope they feel as they start to see improvements in their performance of their occupations. The reflections that I read of people with GBS and their families relates to our course in that it gives us a better idea of the disease process, treatments, and typical client outcomes. Although there are some norms of this condition, it is important that we remain client centered and focus on how the condition effects our client's occupations both during the course of the condition and after the condition when the client is working to regain the function that was lost during the disease process. 

References

June. (n.d.). GBS/CIDP Foundation International. Retrieved August 28, 2023, from https://www.gbs-cidp.org/patient-stories/june/

Lowell Stoltzfus. (n.d.). GBS/CIDP Foundation International. Retrieved August 28, 2023, from https://www.gbs-cidp.org/patient-stories/lowell-stoltzfus/

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